


Coast

by ForNought



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-30
Updated: 2013-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-25 02:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/947584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForNought/pseuds/ForNought
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean and Armin find some water.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coast

"Water!" Armin yelled, "Look at all of that water!"

He spurred his horse into a gallop as he turned and raced towards the fluid glimmer in the distance. It was undoubtedly water, but Jean didn't quite understand what the big fuss was about. He followed at a slower pace, not quite so intent on galloping straight into the water and falling off his horse as Armin seemed to be. They still hadn't found their squad, but they'd found water. That was what they needed, Jean thought with an eye roll. 

Well they did actually need water because Jean's canteen was pretty much empty by now. But Jean still didn't get the fuss. A huge river that ran through the human lands wound its way right through Shiganshina, Armin had told him, so he could not understand what the enthusiastic reaction was about. They were far outside even Wall Maria; this was not Armin's home. 

He'd noticed how still Armin was, up to his waist in water, from around two hundred yards away. Jean approached at a canter and tried not to think about why the suddenly exuberant Armin had suddenly stopped. Maybe he was just taking in the scenery. Rolling green hills were on either side, teeming with plants and wildlife, and even the grass underfoot was springy and lush. The land immediately around Jean didn't offer much in the way of trees so the redundancy of his 3D Manoeuvre Gear made him nervous but trees might have ruined the view. The water was calm with occasional ripples that lapped against some sort of gentle bank of dirt and pebbles. The body of water was enormous, they had spotted it from quite a distance away but only after some deliberation did they agree they weren't imagining it. Not only was it wide but it stretched far in the distance, a thin mist hanging overhead maybe a quarter of a mile out. 

The landscape was beautiful, but there was something about it Jean didn't like. He had never seen anything as breathtaking as this inside the walls but the fact that the titans really hadn't touched land like this made Jean feel uneasy.

Jean didn't bother to find somewhere to tether up his horse. There were only rocks and pebbles and he decided the animal would just content itself to drink.

"Armin," Jean called out. No reply. He called the name again but Armin didn't reply. Jean didn't want to shout too loud, they hadn't seen any sign of titans on the way here but he was certain the sound of his voice could still attract them. Titans just knew, so Jean bellowed Armin's name as loud as he dared and flinched at the faint echo of his own voice that reflected back from the hills around them. 

Still no reaction so Jean took off his boots and his cloak before wading out to meet Armin. He passed Armin's horse on the way and thanked whatever deity that would listen that the horse was heading to shore. They might actually be able to escape if a Titan came. Jean placed his hand on Armin's shoulder. 

"Armin, are you alright?"

Armin shook his head, flicking drops of water at Jean as he did. Jean sort of wanted to laugh at the way he'd splashed into the water when he leapt - or fell - off his horse, but if Armin wasn't happy it probably wouldn't go down well. So he draped an arm over Armin's shoulders and tried not to say something an asshole would say. 

"I'm really stupid, aren't I?"

"No," Jean said. "You're never stupid."

"Yes I am. I thought it was the sea."

"The sea," Jean repeated. He remembered the word from the times Armin told him about the world outside the walls. "Maybe it is the sea."

"It's not. I tasted it when I fell in and it wasn't salty. I thought it was the sea," Armin murmured as he leaned back into Jean. Armin was upset - the kind of upset where even Jean could feel the disappointment radiating from him. Oceans and seas where a topic Armin could wax lyrical about for hours and he had told Jean these tall tales about waters so vast they could never be depleted. The stories sounded insane and Jean wasn't surprised kids used to pick on him when he said things like that. Armin had told him about the rivers of fire and the fields of ice and rocky hills that reached miles into the sky. These things did all sound very interesting. 

"We can find the sea if you want to. You still need to prove you weren't lying to me," Jean smirked. 

Armin looked over his shoulder, up at Jean with his mouth agape. They needed to find their squad. They needed to get back to the walls and help the Scouting Legion to eradicate the remainder of the titans. They needed to refill on gas and blades so they could help the cause. They needed to not die. But Armin nodded. 

"I can't wait to see your face when you find out I was telling the truth."


End file.
